Shoes, in particular sports shoes, usually comprise a sole and a shoe upper attached to the sole. The sole is usually made from an abrasion-resistant and nonskid material such as rubber or similar and can be provided with a tread to improve traction. Such a sole is also referred to as an outsole, because it engages the ground. The outsole can be the only sole provided with the shoe. However, to improve damping properties, especially with sports shoes, a sole of a shoe can be provided with a midsole arranged on top of the outsole and being made of a shock-absorbing material such as rubber, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) or similar. Thus, a sole may either comprise just an outsole or may comprise a midsole in addition.
While rubber can be made abrasion-resistant and nonskid by a special treatment and is shock-absorbing to some degree like EVA, the soles (i.e. the outsoles or the combination of outsoles and midsoles) of shoes tend to have rather large weights to provide for abrasion-resistance, traction and damping. While the latter properties are desirable, the weight of shoes, especially sports shoes, should be as small as possible to allow for natural motions and, in the case of sports shoes, maximum performance of an athlete. Running shoes for example must be abrasion-resistant and provide damping and traction. However, it is not acceptable, if these objectives can only be fulfilled by increasing the weight of the running shoes to such an extent that the athlete fatigues.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,782,642 B2 relates to an article of footwear with a sole including a mesh layer at least partially embedded in the sole layer. The mesh extends along and is substantially coterminous, i.e. flush, with a bottom surface of the sole layer. The mesh provides traction for the wearer and abrasion resistance for the sole.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,557,946 relates to a nonskid rubber sole with an outer surface formed with transverse ribs spaced apart by transverse grooves. Extending longitudinally preferably within each of the transverse ribs is a helical coil.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,237,758 is directed to a safety shoe with a shoe upper extending upwardly of the shoe sole. The shoe sole includes at least one metallic fabric mesh web projected substantially coextensive through the shoe sole to minimize puncturing and projecting of the shoe sole.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,364,134 relates to soles for footwear comprising a single sheet of fabric which is filled on at least one side by a plastic material applied thereto. The fabric is preferably a woven fabric which is formed of sets of weft and sets of warp threads, some of the latter being of comparatively light weight, but at least one of the sets of warps being of comparatively heavy strong yarns or cords having nubs formed of loops which protrude at least on the side of the fabric which is to form the tread of the sole.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,333,303 is directed to a shoe having an impregnated fabric. The fabric is impregnated from one surface thereof and partially therethrough with a flexible adhesive binder. The impregnating material may comprise any flexible adhesive binder including rubber, latex, rubber compositions, synthetic rubber, and other plastic materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,388 relates to an outsole for a shoe formed from a thin, flexible, nonporous and inelastic material having a pattern of perforations through it, and a plurality of tread elements of a hard, wear-resistant material molded onto a first side of the sheet material by a process in which the tread forming material is injected through the perforations in a manner such that at least some of the resultant tread elements have anchoring portions extending through the perforations from an opposite second side of the sheet material, a portion of the sheet material around the perforations being held between the tread elements and the anchoring portions.
The soles for shoes known in the prior art are comparatively heavy in order to provide durability, stability and traction. It is therefore the underlying problem of the present invention to provide for a sole for a shoe, which is lightweight, yet abrasion-resistant and durable and provides for good traction. A further object of the invention is to provide a shoe, which is lightweight, yet abrasion-resistant and durable and provides for good fraction and stability for the foot of a wearer.